RMweb Gold russ p Posted January 14, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 14, 2017 The hair raiser was quite a cheap and nasty spotlight often sold in mail order catalogues Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Johnster Posted January 14, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 14, 2017 The hair raiser was quite a cheap and nasty spotlight often sold in mail order catalogues Seemed to stand up to the rigours of railway use, for which it wan't originally designed, pretty well then, considering... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium uax6 Posted January 14, 2017 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 14, 2017 But was it the standard one? After all it had the arrows of indescison etched into the front, so could it have been a similar design, but not actually the same? Like the GPO Bardics, exactly the same as the railway ones, except that they had PO HLE14 on the sides instead of BR and with a fixed white aspect... Andy G Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold russ p Posted January 14, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 14, 2017 They don't last too long the reflectors often discolour Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold russ p Posted January 14, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 14, 2017 But was it the standard one? After all it had the arrows of indescison etched into the front, so could it have been a similar design, but not actually the same? Like the GPO Bardics, exactly the same as the railway ones, except that they had PO HLE14 on the sides instead of BR and with a fixed white aspect... Andy G Some have arrows and some have wipacs hair raiser on them 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PM47079 Posted January 14, 2017 Share Posted January 14, 2017 They don't last too long the reflectors often discolour They do and also there is a plastic clear piece in front of the headlamp that gets all discoloured and affects the headlamp effectiveness as well. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold russ p Posted January 14, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 14, 2017 Not all of them have that, the central 156s has them and were virtually brown and totally useless Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PM47079 Posted January 14, 2017 Share Posted January 14, 2017 I have noticed the freightliner 90s headlights are looking dimmer and dimmer due to age. Think they may end up being replaced like the greater anglia class 90s Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
45125 Posted January 15, 2017 Share Posted January 15, 2017 I have noticed the freightliner 90s headlights are looking dimmer and dimmer due to age. Think they may end up being replaced like the greater anglia class 90s The reflector either loses its shine or the silvering falls off.............. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
slilley Posted January 17, 2017 Share Posted January 17, 2017 I have memories of seeing 47174 carrying the headlight before she was converted to 47574. Does anyone have photos of her in 1980 that can confirm? Andi I am not sure if that was the case, the earliest reports of 574 with a headlamp are in Jan 1981 after ETH fitting and renumbering to 574. I could be wrong though. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TransportSteve2011 Posted April 12, 2019 Share Posted April 12, 2019 (edited) This is a flickr picture of 47174, not mine, taken in April 1980, no headlight at all. Edited April 12, 2019 by TransportSteve2011 re-edit 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
w124bob Posted April 12, 2019 Share Posted April 12, 2019 I would think the first cl 47(first of any diesel?) to receive a headilight was the test bed 47601 , as this was in service by the end '75 http://www.class47.co.uk/c47_photos_1.php??index=3&jndex=0&kndex=0&s_loco=47601 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
45125 Posted April 12, 2019 Share Posted April 12, 2019 47432 and 47523 had headlights long before any other Brush 4s. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold adb968008 Posted April 12, 2019 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 12, 2019 Do APT-E or Class 252 prototypes count ? How about class 140 (1981) ? of course Deltic (and D9000 reputedly) were fitted with the ultimate of headlights... just not working. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
slilley Posted January 1, 2021 Share Posted January 1, 2021 On 12/04/2019 at 22:56, adb968008 said: Do APT-E or Class 252 prototypes count ? How about class 140 (1981) ? of course Deltic (and D9000 reputedly) were fitted with the ultimate of headlights... just not working. D9000's headlight did work. I wrote an article for Railways Illustrated a few years back now all about the tests that were done at Hadley Wood in early 1961. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold russ p Posted January 1, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 1, 2021 1 hour ago, slilley said: D9000's headlight did work. I wrote an article for Railways Illustrated a few years back now all about the tests that were done at Hadley Wood in early 1961. Wasn't that a strobe light Simon? That must have been awful driving it at night There was at least one stratford brush 2 and possibly a 37 fitted with experimental headlamps in the 60s I have a feeling these were flashing ones There were also 24s and 26s fitted with pairs (mostly but not all) of lucas car headlights and some 37s and 120s fitted with single spotlights for the central wales line 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
slilley Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 22 hours ago, russ p said: Wasn't that a strobe light Simon? That must have been awful driving it at night There was at least one stratford brush 2 and possibly a 37 fitted with experimental headlamps in the 60s I have a feeling these were flashing ones There were also 24s and 26s fitted with pairs (mostly but not all) of lucas car headlights and some 37s and 120s fitted with single spotlights for the central wales line I have found the article I wrote. This is taken from that. I am not sure if the lamps were used other than durig the tests that were done. "The beam’s intensity was quoted as being 1 million candlepower and with a 4 degree divergence the width of the beam at 300 yards was 75 feet. Each beam flash lasted 10 micro-seconds with one flash per second. This could be varied up to a maximum of two per second. The Xenon Arc element’s lifespan was 17 million flashes so with the lamp in use 18 hours per day at a setting of one flash per second each lamp would last approximately nine months." Best wishes Simon 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium TheQ Posted January 2, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 2, 2021 On 30/05/2013 at 13:23, Oldddudders said: UK trains didn't have headlights, i.e. a deliberate means of illuminating the track ahead, until the very late 1980s, when a project to fit them was begun, I think. Except locomotives based at Inverness, they had head lamps fitted from the 1960s An escaped Inverness loco on the Waverley route 1968.. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold russ p Posted January 2, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 2, 2021 1 hour ago, slilley said: I have found the article I wrote. This is taken from that. I am not sure if the lamps were used other than durig the tests that were done. "The beam’s intensity was quoted as being 1 million candlepower and with a 4 degree divergence the width of the beam at 300 yards was 75 feet. Each beam flash lasted 10 micro-seconds with one flash per second. This could be varied up to a maximum of two per second. The Xenon Arc element’s lifespan was 17 million flashes so with the lamp in use 18 hours per day at a setting of one flash per second each lamp would last approximately nine months." Best wishes Simon Cheers Simon, I'm getting a headache just thinking about a shift on that! 2 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
EddieK Posted January 3, 2021 Share Posted January 3, 2021 When I worked at Great Western in the mid 1990s, I recall the publication of a report into the effectiveness of high intensity headlamps. Apparently those on our HST fleet were often very good for spotting aircraft going into RAF Lyneham. As I recall, the only "effective" headlamps of those surveyed were on Class 31, possibly because any work being undertaken by the P-Way gang would be long since completed by teh time the 31 had actually reached them. (I'll get my coat...) 2 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob D2 Posted January 4, 2021 Share Posted January 4, 2021 13 hours ago, EddieK said: When I worked at Great Western in the mid 1990s, I recall the publication of a report into the effectiveness of high intensity headlamps. Apparently those on our HST fleet were often very good for spotting aircraft going into RAF Lyneham. As I recall, the only "effective" headlamps of those surveyed were on Class 31, possibly because any work being undertaken by the P-Way gang would be long since completed by teh time the 31 had actually reached them. (I'll get my coat...) Must have been a very low flying Hercules to be spotted in the beam ! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted January 4, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 4, 2021 3 hours ago, rob D2 said: Must have been a very low flying Hercules to be spotted in the beam ! One place the NHerc used to practice low flying they came over out r yard at about 200-300ft - descending. They were heading for a nearby airfield where they practised low level drops of vehicles. I was down near the Bridport branch one day on my way from Maiden Newton To Brifport by car and i heard what sounded like a very low Hercules so I slowed down and looked up but couldn't see it although it was getting louder. The road was on the side of a valley and the noise was so near I thought it might be sensible to stop - andt when I looked out of the side window I at last saw the Herc, and found myself looking down on it as it flew along the valley at very low altitude. Of course we didn't have HSTs on the Bridport branch 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
EddieK Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 Reference my comments above, and the investigation into the effectiveness of headlamps, the lamps fitted to SR units such as 4VEP and 4CIG were mounted to the gangway doors. Possibly a reason for the "aim" of the beam being slightly misaligned... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
45125 Posted January 7, 2021 Share Posted January 7, 2021 On 05/01/2021 at 00:49, EddieK said: Reference my comments above, and the investigation into the effectiveness of headlamps, the lamps fitted to SR units such as 4VEP and 4CIG were mounted to the gangway doors. Possibly a reason for the "aim" of the beam being slightly misaligned... The original HST headlights were a right sod to set up. Quite often the fixing/adjusting bolts would shear and the lamp would just flop about. The actual lamp could be fitted in the holder incorrectly which would give alter the beam. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold astropsidings Posted January 8, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 8, 2021 47 287, Banbury 15-9-83. This is the first I remember seeing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now